Saad Khan Archives the Detritus of Censored Culture

Saad Khan, a New York-based archivist, has developed Khajistan, an expansive digital and physical archive dedicated to preserving censored and overlooked mass media from South Asia to the Maghreb. The collection features a diverse array of ephemera, including homoerotic imagery, working-class street posters, and banned magazines that are often erased from official cultural records. By documenting everything from WhatsApp forwards to vintage film posters, Khan creates a space where the lived experiences of queer, trans, and working-class individuals in these regions are validated and archived.

Patricia Fernandez at Whistle

Artist Patricia Fernandez presents a solo exhibition titled "A constellation of its other" at Whistle in Seoul. The exhibition, which runs from March 20 to May 2, 2026, features a body of work documented through extensive installation photography by Ian Yang and is supported by Commonwealth and Council in Los Angeles.

Monica Majoli at Hoffman Donahue

Monica Majoli has opened a solo exhibition at Hoffman Donahue in Los Angeles, featuring new work on view from February 24 through April 4, 2026. The presentation is documented through a series of 17 installation photographs, though specific details about the medium or themes of the artworks are not described in the provided text.

'60 Years Of The Grateful Dead' Unveils Band’s Most Comprehensive Art Exhibition Yet [Photos]

The Chambers Project Gallery in Grass Valley, CA, has opened '60 Years of the Grateful Dead,' billed as the most comprehensive exhibition of original Grateful Dead artwork ever assembled. Curated by Brian Chambers, the show features historic posters, album covers, sketches, and rare artifacts from key artists like Rick Griffin, Stanley Mouse, Alton Kelley, Victor Moscoso, and Wes Wilson, alongside collaborators such as Bill Walker and Owsley 'Bear' Stanley. Highlights include Bill Walker's original Anthem of the Sun mandala, stored for years in his sister's garage, and Edmund J. Sullivan's 1900 'Skeleton Amid Roses' illustration, reinterpreted for the band's iconic 1971 album cover. The opening weekend also featured a concert by the supergroup White Lightning at the Bodhi-Hive.

Portland Concert Poster Exhibition Opening at Mint Gallery Records

Historian and lifelong collector Jason Blumklotz is opening an exhibition titled "The History of Portland Concert Posters" at Mint Gallery Records on November 14. The show features over 40 posters from his personal archive, spanning 1962 to 1996, many of which are for sale. The exhibition highlights Portland's rich concert poster tradition, including works from venues like Satyricon, the Masonic Temple, and La Luna, and includes posters for bands such as Heatmiser, King Bee, and Wipers.

Around the World

Einmal um die Welt

The article previews the national pavilions at the Venice Biennale, where 99 countries present exhibitions across the Giardini, Arsenale, and venues throughout the city. It highlights Iceland's pavilion, featuring Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir's project "Pocket Universe" at the Docks Cantieri Cucchini, a multimedia work combining performance, sound, moving image, and installation centered on a film about a creature.

Venice Biennale chief under pressure

Venedig-Biennale-Chef unter Druck

Just before the opening of the Venice Art Biennale, its president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco is facing mounting criticism after the entire jury resigned. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli accused Buttafuoco of pursuing a form of "parallel foreign policy" by readmitting Russia to the six-month exhibition, calling him a "victim of a pacifist fantasy." The opening ceremony and the traditional Golden Lion awards have been canceled; prizes will now be decided by visitor vote at the end of the Biennale in November.

How the GDR apron became Italian luxury

Wie die DDR-Schürze zum Italo-Luxus wurde

Italian luxury label Miu Miu has released dresses for summer 2026 that resemble 1980s East German kitchen aprons, with prices reaching up to €12,000 for crystal-embroidered versions. The collection debuted on the Paris runway in October, where actress Sandra Hüller opened the show in robust workwear, evoking factory workers from the former GDR. Designer Miuccia Prada, a former member of the Italian Communist Party, drew inspiration from Helga Paris's 1984 photo series "Frauen bei der Arbeit" (Women at Work), which documented female laborers in East Berlin's VEB Treffmodelle textile factory.

Press Photos of the Year Chosen

Pressefotos des Jahres gewählt

Carol Guzy won the World Press Photo competition for 2025 with her image "Separated by ICE," taken for the Miami Herald. The photograph depicts children clinging to their father's shirt during a court hearing in New York, after he was unexpectedly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The jury selected the image from nearly 57,000 entries by about 3,700 photographers. Two other finalists were recognized: Saber Nuraldin for documenting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and Victor J. Blue for covering the trial of perpetrators who kidnapped and abused women during Guatemala's civil war.

This is the Press Photo of the Year

Das ist das Pressefoto des Jahres

The World Press Photo competition has named Carol Guzy's photograph "Separated by ICE" as the World Press Photo of the Year. The image, taken for the Miami Herald in August 2025, shows children clinging to their father's shirt during a court hearing in New York after he was unexpectedly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The jury praised the photo as a stark documentation of family separation resulting from U.S. immigration policy. Two other finalists were recognized: Saber Nuraldin's image of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Victor J. Blue's photo documenting the Achi women from Guatemala who sought justice for wartime abuses.

Oviedo to host the world's first philosophy museum

Oviedo accueillera le premier musée de philosophie au monde

The Gustavo Bueno Foundation has announced plans to open the world's first museum of philosophy in Oviedo, Spain, scheduled for January 2027. Housed in the historic Miñor sanatorium, the institution will serve as a physical extension of the Oviedo School of Philosophy, focusing on the "philosophical materialism" developed by the late thinker Gustavo Bueno. The museum aims to move beyond academic circles to engage the general public in critical thinking and the rigorous analysis of social structures.

Ella Maillart, intrepid photographer of the 1930s, highlighted in an exhibition in Lausanne

Ella Maillart, photographe baroudeuse des années 30 mise en lumière dans une exposition à Lausanne

Ella Maillart, a Swiss photographer and adventurer from the 1930s, is the subject of a new exhibition in Lausanne. Born in Geneva in 1903, Maillart was an Olympic sailor and champion skier before turning to travel and photography. She journeyed across the Soviet Union, Central Asia, and China, often by train, ski, or camel, documenting remote cultures and political landscapes. Her travels included a 6,000-kilometer trek from Beijing to Kashmir with British writer Peter Fleming, and a road trip from Geneva to Kabul with friend Annemarie Schwarzenbach. The exhibition highlights her photographs and writings, which blend geographical exploration, political chronicle, and personal meditation.

337 œuvres et objets volés récupérés : la vaste opération italienne de lutte contre le trafic de biens culturels aux États-Unis

On April 29, Italy's carabinieri dedicated to cultural heritage protection announced the recovery of 337 looted or stolen artworks and objects repatriated from the United States between December 2025 and April 2026. The haul includes archaeological artifacts, archival documents, and other artworks, such as a marble head of Alexander the Great from the 1st century AD, a bronze sculpture stolen from Herculaneum, and two Egyptian basalt sculptures. The objects were dispersed through international markets using forged provenance documents, and their return involved U.S. agencies including the FBI.

Kobby Adi at Cabinet

Kobby Adi presents a solo exhibition at Cabinet gallery in London, running from February 26 to April 26, 2026. The show includes a floor plan and 20 exhibition images, with documentation provided by the artist and the gallery.

Marie Karlberg at ISSUES

Swedish artist Marie Karlberg presents a solo exhibition titled "Som Ett Hänglås" at ISSUES gallery in Stockholm. Running from March 19 through April 11, 2026, the show features a new body of work documented through an extensive series of installation views and individual piece photography.

Waltz at Cittipunkt e.V.

An exhibition titled "Waltz" opened at the Cittipunkt e.V. venue in Berlin, featuring works by a group of artists including Squat Theatre, Ben Kinmont, Juliette Blightman, Marysia Paruzel, and Rampike Magazine. The show was curated by Riverside and ran from March 1 to March 29, 2026, with documentation available through Contemporary Art Daily.

Irina Werning Chronicles 18 Years of Photographing ‘Las Pelilargas’ in a New Book

Photographer Irina Werning has spent 18 years traveling across Latin America to document Indigenous women with exceptionally long hair for her series "Las Pelilargas." Her new book, published by GOST Books, features nearly 90 portraits taken between 2006 and 2024, starting with the Kolla community in Argentina. Werning sought subjects by posting signs in remote mountain towns and organizing hair competitions, capturing a tradition rooted in ancestral beliefs that hair connects to life, thoughts, and the land.

Hillary Waters Fayle Creates ‘Portraits of Place’ from Seeds, Foliage, and Petals

Artist Hillary Waters Fayle has developed a unique series titled 'Portraits of Place,' which utilizes foraged botanicals to create intricate cyanotypes. By collecting and drying seeds, petals, and foliage from specific locations like Grace Farms and Maymont Park, Fayle arranges them into symmetrical, mandala-like compositions on UV-sensitive paper. The resulting bright blue prints serve as a botanical record of a specific geography and moment in time.

A Document in Motion: ArtWorld Passports head to the Venice Biennale.

Zimbabwean artist Richard Mudariki has created 'ArtWorld Passport,' a participatory artwork debuting at the Venice Biennale 2026. The piece functions as a social sculpture and performance, where passport holders collect stamps, signatures, and drawings from artists, exhibitions, and pavilions across the Biennale, transforming the bureaucratic tool of travel into a speculative exploration of access and authorship.

From Minor Keys to Uproar: The Crisis of the Venice Biennale

DE LAS MINOR KEYS AL ESTRUENDO: LA CRISIS DE LA BIENAL DE VENECIA

The 61st Venice Biennale is engulfed in a structural crisis, marked by geopolitical tensions over the inclusion of Russia (amid its invasion of Ukraine) and Israel (amid the Gaza genocide). The Biennale Foundation, led by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, defended their participation on legalistic grounds, sparking outrage from over 200 artists, curators, and cultural workers who demanded Israel's exclusion, aligning with Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA). The international jury, chaired by Solange Farkas and including Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, resigned collectively on April 30 after deciding not to award prizes to countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court arrest warrants. This led to the cancellation of the traditional Golden and Silver Lions, replaced by audience-voted "Visitor Lions," with awards deferred until November. The European Commission suspended a €2 million subsidy over Russia's participation, and Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli notably skipped the May 9 opening.

A powerful photo project became a love letter to the workers who built L.A. Metro's D Line

Photographer Ken Karagozian, who began documenting L.A. Metro construction workers in 1995, has collaborated with historian India Mandelkern on a photo book titled "Wilshire Subway: The Making of the D Line Subway Extension." The book chronicles the history, conflicts, and the workers behind the D Line extension along Wilshire Boulevard, ahead of its May 8 opening. A related exhibition, "Wilshire Subway: Photographed by Ken Karagozian," is on view at the 1301PE art gallery through May 14.

film mohamad abdouni michael bailey gates cold cuts

Lebanese photographer, filmmaker, and Cold Cuts magazine creative director Mohamad Abdouni has released a new documentary titled "Treat Me Like Your Mother," which documents the lives of trans women in Lebanon. The film, drawn from an Arabic expression asking for mercy, reframes motherhood as an ethical position rooted in responsibility for the trans community. Rather than extracting trauma, Abdouni allows the women to tell their own histories in personal, nonlinear, and surprising forms. The documentary evolved from a book project featuring oral histories of ten women, and the film centers Abdouni's own reflections on what these women represented to him growing up. In a dialogue with photographer Michael Bailey-Gates for CULTURED, Abdouni discusses the importance of letting trans women define the terms of their own visibility.

parties kid cudi documentary screening

Filmmaker Joshua Charow premiered his short documentary *Echoes of the Past* at the Miami Beach Edition, offering an intimate look at Kid Cudi's painter alter ego, Scotty Ramon, as he prepares for his first solo exhibition in Paris in 2026. The screening, attended by collector Larry Warsh and other art-world figures, showcased Cudi's experimental paintings and marked a new creative chapter for the musician-turned-visual artist.

art young photographer best emerging

Cultured magazine has announced its annual selection of 12 emerging photographers, aged 24 to 35, chosen by top names in the photography world. The list includes artists such as Adali Schell, Ashley McLean, Camille Farrah Lenain, Charlie Denis, Chris Cook, Hannah Altman, Hero Bean Stevenson, Iva Sidash, Jak Bannon, Jasmine Clarke, Michael Wolever, and Sara Messinger, who work across traditional darkroom techniques and AI tools, drawing on personal histories and community perspectives.

luxury shoe archive collection jeremyn lee

Jeremyn Lee, Senior Footwear Designer at Thom Browne, opens his personal archive of luxury shoes to CULTURED magazine. His collection, housed in his Fort Greene home, includes rare runway samples and discontinued styles from brands like Prada, Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, and Maison Margiela. Lee began collecting after an internship at Marc Jacobs, focusing on nostalgia-driven pieces he first admired on Tumblr as a teen. The archive is meticulously catalogued with photography organized by size, brand, and season, featuring items like the Maison Margiela Spring 2009 'oversized sandals' sold as display objects.

Helena Samarasinghe at Camberwell Space

British-South Asian artist Helena Samarasinghe is presenting her debut solo exhibition, "Reaching, Touching, Shedding," at Camberwell Space in London. The show features a series of vibrant drawings and sculptural cut-out installations that explore the intersections of sport, power, and identity. Developed during her residency as the 2024 Vanguard Prize winner, the works utilize oil, soft pastels, and charcoal to depict brown women engaged in activities like football, wrestling, and athletics, drawing stylistic inspiration from 19th-century Bengali Kalighat painting.

New London exhibition uses architecture to explore the experiences of Iran’s American diaspora

Arash Nassiri's first institutional solo exhibition, 'A Bug's Life,' has opened at London's Chisenhale Gallery. The show features a moving-image commission set within a sculptural installation, following an insect puppet protagonist through a cavernous mansion in Los Angeles. The mansion is a 'Persian Palace'—a hybrid of Iranian and French Empire architectural styles that emerged in 1960s-70s Iran and was recreated by wealthy Iranian exiles in Los Angeles after the 1979 revolution. Nassiri, who is Tehran-born and Berlin-based, uses the film to explore themes of disorientation, displacement, and the ambiguous dual belonging of Iran's American diaspora.

Closure of Side gallery quayside space in Newcastle sparks social media backlash

Side gallery, a historic venue in Newcastle that has showcased documentary photography and film since 1977, will not reopen at its Quayside location after closing in 2023 due to lost revenue funding from the Arts Council of England (ACE). Managing director Laura Laffler of Amber Film & Photography, which runs the gallery, announced the decision after exhausting all avenues for continued funding, including a failed £1.3 million National Lottery Heritage Fund bid and the collapse of ACE's Grantium platform. The closure has sparked backlash on social media, with some donors to the 2023 #SaveSide crowdfund—which raised £67,278—feeling misled about the funds' purpose.

Mario Ayala Unveils Life Sized Van Portraits at CAM Houston

Mario Ayala's first U.S. solo museum exhibition, 'Seven Vans,' has opened at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH). The show, on view from November 14, 2025, through June 21, 2026, features seven life-size van paintings that use the vehicle's rear body as a shaped canvas. Ayala removes wheels and functional markers, turning the vans into motionless 'pseudo-portraits' that convey owners' personalities through details like faded stickers, patchy repairs, and custom airbrush work inspired by auto body painting. The artist describes his process as 'Research While Driving,' documenting rear vehicle perspectives over six years.

Delhi exhibition highlights India's controversial slum redevelopments

Artist Paribartana Mohanty's solo exhibition "I Rescued Speed Altogether" at Delhi's Shrine Empire gallery presents 12 paintings and three moving-image works created over eight years of documenting the demolition of the Kathputli art colony, a historic slum cluster in west Delhi known for its street performers. The works, mounted on found objects like glue cans and plastic, focus on the objects and landscapes left behind after demolitions, with human figures absent from the canvases. Mohanty's title comes from his three-year-old son's triumphant statement after learning to pedal a bicycle, which the artist sees as an absurd phrase fitting for what he calls the "absurd acts" of demolition.